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I'm trying to automate the uninstall/install of Office. Removing 2007, installing 2010. I've downloaded the OCT and made changes as I needed. In there I can select, "Remove the following earlier versions of Microsoft Office Programs:" and you can select which to remove (default Remove All), or you can select the option "Default Setup behavior; earlier versions of installed programs are removed."

Initially I tried the Default Option, but it gave me the below error. Then I tried manually selecting the second option but leaving them all as "Remove". Same results.

I'm trying to get this done via group policy and have downladed and installed the ADM template as well, create a GPO for this OU to test in, etc. Using 2008 Server.

I've seen others online with the same error, and instructions are typically "remove the old version first" or use a third party tool (Revo), which I have used in the past with success, but on an individual uninstall/install basis, not via GPO. My end result is for a laptop to boot up on a given day, references the GPO, if it has 2007 it uninstalles 2007 and installs 2010.

Here is the error I'm getting, I'm sure it's nothing new as it's fairly prevelant online.

You cannot install the 64-bit version of Office 2010 because you have 32-bit Office products installed. These 32-bit products are not supported with 64-bit installations:

        Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007

If you want to install 64-bit Office 2010, you must uninstall all 32-bit Office products first, and then run setup.exe in the x64 folder. If you want to install 32-bit Office 2010, close this Setup program, and then either go to the x86 folder at the root of your CD or DVD and run setup.exe, or get the 32-bit Office 2010 from the same place you purchased 64-bit Office 2010.

Here's what I have in the config.xml file under ProPlus.WW:

REM Get ProductName from the Office product's core Setup.xml file, and then add "office14." as a prefix. 
set ProductName=Office14.PROPLUS

REM Set DeployServer to a network-accessible location containing the Office source files.
set DeployServer=\\filesvr\shared\Office2010

REM Set ConfigFile to the configuration file to be used for deployment (required)
set ConfigFile=\\filesvr\shared\Office2010\ProPlus.WW\config.xml

REM Set LogLocation to a central directory to collect log files.
set LogLocation=\\filesvr\shared\Office2010\LogFiles

Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated, thanks!

Don
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    While this is certainly not what you would expect, it seems that x64 Office won't uninstall x86 Office. That said, do you actually *need* x64 Office? I would guess not. Microsoft strongly pushes customers toward x86. – MDMarra Apr 16 '12 at 22:20
  • Yeah, I don't think more than a couple of our users would actually take advantage of x64. It'd be easier to just manually do their PCs if needed. – Don Apr 17 '12 at 13:08
  • The only benefit that MS lists for x64 is the ability to work with Excel workbooks larger than 2GB. 9 times out of ten, anyone with a 2GB workbook is doing it wrong :D – MDMarra Apr 17 '12 at 13:48

2 Answers2

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It looks like you're trying to install the 64-bit version of Office 2010. This won't work if you're trying to uninstall a 32-bit version of Office 2007. The reason is that 32-bit applications on a 64-bit OS run under Windows on Windows (WoW), which is a compatibility layer provided on top of the native-OS so that 32-bit applications can run properly. Applications typically cannot interact between the two layers, which is why you're getting this error.

In any case, I would recommend that you DO NOT install the 64-bit version of Office. Per guidance from Microsoft, the only advantage to the 64-bit version is if you have users that have extremely large data sets that need to take advantage of the additional address space provided by a 64-bit application. Since you're currently using a 32-bit version of Office, I don't think this will be a problem for you. Fix your install package to deploy the 32-bit version instead.

newmanth
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  • Changed the above link to that actual TechNet article that explains the advantage and disadvantages of the 64-bit version. Microsoft explicitly recommends the 32-bit version here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/choose-the-32-bit-or-64-bit-version-of-microsoft-office-HA010369476.aspx – newmanth Apr 16 '12 at 22:19
  • Interesting, I didn't know exactly how it worked, thanks for the explanation. I'll set 32-bit up and get it tested. :) Thanks, everyone! – Don Apr 17 '12 at 13:09
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As you probably suspected, the answer is in the error. You can't use the OCT to upgrade a 32-bit version of Office to a 64-bit one. Simple as that.

This should help you. 2007 will need to be uninstalled separately from the 2010 install.

Chris McKeown
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